Pacific

Fiji

We work with remote communities in Fiji who face myriad challenges. Erratic weather events and climate change are a major threat to people who earn a living through agriculture. They also face difficulties accessing nutritious food. A safe and stable water supply, and good sanitation, are crucial in fighting water-borne disease. Together with our local partners, we:

run water and sanitation workshops

inform national water and sanitation policy

connect families to safe drinking water and sanitation

empower communities to identify their own development needs

support the development and implementation of community-led action plans

train local organisations in the skills they need to meet their development goals, such as writing grant proposals.

Kiribati

Kiribati is an extremely remote and isolated group of low-lying islands on the equator in the Pacific Ocean. For this reason, it is extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change, especially rising sea levels and erratic weather events. Without access to clean water, communities in Kiribati have difficulty cultivating their own vegetables. This means they have to resort to buying imported, processed foods, which can lead to diseases such as diabetes, as well as malnutrition.

In Kiribati, we focus on:

helping communities to build hand water pumps

teaching communities to grow their own vegetables

educating people about nutritional diversity

educating people about climate-resilient gardening

working with Island Councils to ensure projects are sustainable and long-lasting

establishing a chicken hatchery to supply island communities with eggs and meat.

Solomon Islands

The Solomon Islands is one of the poorest countries in the Pacific region, ranked 156 of 187 countries on the UN Human Development Index. Solomon Islanders face many barriers to development, including poor infrastructure and social services, lack of education and training, and gender inequality.

Together with our local partner, we empower communities to pursue their own development agenda. We do this by:

consulting with communities to help them identify their needs and goals

forming advocacy groups that can speak for different sectors of the community, such as women and youth

linking communities with local and provincial governments

supporting village forums where communities present their action plans to government officials and service providers

teaching practical skills to help communities meet their development needs, such as writing grant proposals

supporting livelihood projects, such as bee-keeping, vegetable production, and fish and pig farming.

Timor-Leste

With its recent history of conflict and fight for independence, Timor-Leste still has many hurdles to overcome. According to UNICEF, over 58 per cent of children have stunted growth. Lack of access to water, low crop diversity, and limited agronomic knowledge are major drivers behind the high rates of malnutrition in Timor-Leste.

Timorese women face additional challenges, with the Asia Foundation reporting that almost 60 per cent of women between the ages of 15 and 49 have experienced domestic violence or abuse.

We support some of the most vulnerable groups in the population – women, children, and those in need of psycho-social support. With our local partners, we:

provide accommodation, counselling and other vital services for women and children who have survived domestic abuse

help abuse survivors to becoming financially independent by offering training in book-keeping and small business, and teaching livelihoods such as raising livestock, growing crops, and running kiosks

counselling male and female prisoners and providing psycho-social support

running literacy, English, and recreational classes for prisoners, and holding sewing classes for female prisoners so they have job skills when they are released

teaching farmers agriculture skills so they can grow and sell more produce

repairing irrigation systems and water points to ensure water for both farming and household use.

Action on Poverty (ABN 42 002 568 005) is fully accredited with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, has Deductible Gift Recipient status with the Australian Tax Office, and is a signatory to the ACFID Code of Conduct - a voluntary, self-regulatory code of good practice. As a signatory, we are committed and fully adhere to the Code, conducting our work with transparency, accountability and integrity.